Shelby reveals 850bhp GT500 in memory of company founder

Carroll Shelby may have sadly passed away at the ripe old age of 89, but his legacy lives on in a one-off GT500.

This Cobra strikes with 850bhp

Built as a tribute to the company’s founder, the one-of-a-kind 2013 GT500 is finished in the classic Guardsman blue with Wimbledon white stripes and a wide body kit to make it look even more menacing. Oh, and its engine has been tuned to produce a whopping 853bhp — up from 662bhp.

This thunderous power is achieved by strapping on a Ford Racing 4.0-litre Whipple supercharger onto the standard V8. The result, as you can probably imagine, is tyre-destroying torque, ear-melting noise and the sort of top speed you’ll only discover if the thought of jail doesn’t scare you.

Special 13-inch wide rear wheels and 345-section tyres take on the difficult job of taming that engine, and the front tyres aren’t much smaller, which is reassuring when you have all that power on tap. The one-off 2013 GT500 also comes with a bespoke bonnet and Shelby Wilwood brakes.

Shelby American president John Luft and Ford board member Edsel Ford II reportedly unveiled the tribute car at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports reunion.

Ford marketing chief Jim Farley said of the motoring legend: “Even at 89 years of age, Carroll was an inspiration to us all. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the original Shelby Cobra. The one-off car we have created represents the very idea he had about making the 2013 Shelby GT500 into a true Cobra.”

A little bit of a random fact for you. Carroll Shelby was the longest-living heart transplant recipient in the US. He received a heart on the 7th of June in 1990 from a Las Vegas gambler who died of an aneurysm.

Shelby, having been hospitalised with pneumonia, passed away in May, 2012.

Source: Top Gear

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